Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) Receives Buy Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group restated their buy rating on shares of Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $19.00 price target on the shipping company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings cut Navigator from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Navigator in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.50.

Navigator Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of NVGS opened at $16.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 0.57. Navigator has a twelve month low of $10.55 and a twelve month high of $17.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.11.

Navigator (NYSE:NVGS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The firm had revenue of $153.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $133.84 million. Navigator had a net margin of 15.57% and a return on equity of 6.56%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Navigator will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Navigator Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 25th. This is an increase from Navigator’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Navigator’s payout ratio is presently 13.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navigator

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Navigator in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Navigator during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Navigator during the second quarter valued at $47,000. CWM LLC purchased a new position in Navigator during the third quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Navigator by 21,406.3% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,441 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 3,425 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 18.95% of the company’s stock.

About Navigator

Navigator Holdings Ltd. engages in owning and operating a fleet of liquefied gas carriers worldwide. It provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gases, and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The company also offers ship shore infrastructure and consultancy services.